APPLE BUTTER
Michigan State University Extension 
Preserving Food Safely - 01600362 
08/03/99 

USE JONATHAN, WINESAP, STAYMAN, GOLDEN DELICIOUS, MACINTOSH 
OR OTHER TASTY APPLE VARIETIES FOR BEST RESULTS. 

8 lbs. apples 
2 cups cider 
2 cups vinegar (5% acidity) 
2-1/4 cups white sugar 
2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar 
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon 
1 tbsp. ground cloves 

YIELD: About 8 to 9 pints 

PROCEDURE: Wash, remove stems, quarter and core 
fruit. Cook slowly in cider and vinegar until soft. Press 
fruit through a colander, food mill or strainer. Cook 
fruit pulp with sugar and spices, stirring frequently. To 
test for doneness, remove a spoonful and hold it away from 
steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains 
mounded on the spoon. Another way to determine when the 
butter is cooked adequately is to spoon a small quantity 
onto a plate. When a rim of liquid does not separate around 
the edge of the butter, it is ready for canning. Fill hot 
into hot sterile half-pint or pint jars (see directions for 
sterilization of jars), leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Quart 
jars need not be pre-sterilized, but jars should be hot 
prior to filling. Adjust lids and process. 

Sterilization of Empty Jars 

To sterilize empty jars, place them right side up on the 
rack in a boiling-water canner. Fill the canner and jars 
with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the 
jars. Boil 10 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 feet. 
At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute for each 
additional 1,000 feet elevation. Remove and drain hot 
sterilized jars one at a time as filled. 

RECOMMENDED PROCESS TIMES FOR APPLE BUTTER 
IN A BOILING-WATER CANNER 
             
                  Process Time at Altitudes of               
Style                                                        
of        Jar        0-               1001--        over     
Pack      Size       1000 ft.         6000 ft.      6001 ft. 
Hot    Half-Pints    5 min.           10 min.       15 min.  
Hot      Pints       5                10            15       
Hot    Quarts       10                15            20       




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